As Wendy was hanging up the phone, JD approached, after having heard the conversation.
“What did you say, Wendy? You’re not going out there!”
Ignoring him, Wendy grabbed her keys and purse. “You can’t spare anyone else, JD. Sarah needs to be here with the kids and you all need to be at the football field when Donovan arrives. You’re going to have your hands full, when Sarah fills you in on what’s going on,” she insisted. “Besides, I’ll be fine. I’ve lived with a Lycan for almost twenty years, remember?” she said, giving him kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
JD stopped Wendy from leaving. He walked to the gun safe, pulling out a few AR-15 assault rifles, fully-loaded with reinforced wooden bullets that have been blessed with holy water and he handed them over to Sarah. While a giant spotlight, with twenty million candle-watts of ultraviolet light was rolled out of storage and aimed at the windows, Sarah pulled the carpet away by the front door, revealing a solid-silver, hydraulic cross-brace, that would lift up and seal the door when needed. After he was satisfied, JD looked at Wendy for a brief moment and then grabbed her face, kissing her deeply, before walking back over to the gun cabinet and taking out a Desert Eagle 50 caliber pistol, that was loaded with more of the specialty wooden bullets.
“I know there’s no way of changing your mind, Wendy,” JD said, handing her the gun. “Take this with you and watch your driving on these roads,” her husband warned. “Nate, cover her out to the car… I don’t want one of those bloodsuckers coming down and swooping her up.”
Nate opened the door, while Wendy kissed JD once more and then she rushed out the door and down the sidewalk to her car. She climbed in and set the gun by her purse in the passenger seat, along with an extra clip of bullets. She locked the doors, waving before she pulled out of the station lot… and as she was leaving, over in the shadows, a dark figure was scuttling down the side of the police station, poking its head around the corner, just in time to see her go.
“It’s all clear, she’s gonna be fine,” Nate announced as he closed the door.
Sarah filled them in on Brittney’s phone call and JD couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Damn it, Donovan,” he huffed under his breath. “Well, let’s all get over to the football field, then,” were the instructions to his crew of Lycans.
“I called ahead and I’ve arranged reinforcements who will be there for you, JD. Everyone I could reach is on their way,” Sarah told him, always on top of things. “I hope it’s enough.”
JD opened the door and took a look out to the falling snow. “We will soon find out, I’m afraid… we will soon find out.”
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Chapter Twenty-Four
At one end of the high school football field, JD, Nate, Wilson, Brad, Wayne, Tony and Nanook stood waiting underneath the goalpost for the buses to arrive. JD reached into his waistline and pulled out a flask; the inside was filled with liquefied yohimbe. Drinking this would help the aging Lycans transform much more smoothly and let them mutate twice their normal size. JD and the Pack gathered silently in the falling snow, as they passed the flask around, thinking about the events that were about to unfold. Each Lycan that took a chug, coughed and gagged.
“I know it tastes like ass!” JD said as his throat burned, “But it’ll jack you up!”
After the last swig had been kicked back, headlights could be seen breaking through the weather, not too far off in the distance and the sound of humming engines became louder, as two yellow school buses finally pulled into view in the parking lot. Donovan immediately saw JD and the other deputies standing in the field under the lights and he knew right away that they were on to him. He immediately flipped open his cellphone and called his assistant on the other bus.
“Yes, I know, I can see them,” Donovan angrily said into the phone. “It’s going to be a battle to the death.”
The pair of buses slowly crept their way across the unplowed parking lot, coming to a stop in the snow. Donovan got off the and wasted no time getting out to the center of the football field, where JD met up with him.
“It’s over Donovan,” he calmly said, “I know what you’ve been up to.”
“Just give up the virgin, JD,” Donovan called back. “And, everyone can all go home. Well, not her, of course,” he said, catching himself. “But, I promise you, she won’t feel a thing.”
“It’s not gonna happen, mayor. Not on my watch… and you’ve also broken the Blood Law. And, you know what happens to Vampires that break that law,” JD reminded him. “You’ve known, since the beginning, that you are not beyond the Law. And, I told you when we started this town, that I would enforce it… no matter who broke it.”
“I am the law and you work for me!” Donovan tried to argue.
JD just stood there, slowly turning his head from side to side.
“No? Alright then, JD, if you won’t give her to me, then how about a trade?” Donovan said, in an attempt to bargain. “We’ll do it like this: a woman for a woman. I’ll take the virgin,” the Vampire said, sneering, “and, I’ll let you have your wife back.”
As he spoke, Donovan could see that JD was barely able to contain his anger. “Yes, I’ve got the beautiful Wendy, staying as my guest, JD. But, she’s still alive… for now.”
JD grinned viciously, but then surprised Donovan, as his voice broke with laughter.
“My wife, you say? Wendy Davidson? Oh, I’ve got news for you, Mr. mayor,” JD said with a smile. “Your boy, Jason, failed his mission, I’m afraid. The little punk is sitting in a jail cell, right now… with that scumbag, Limpkins.”
Donovan’s face went stone cold, upon hearing the news; his anger was building inside and it was beginning to show. He wasn’t going to let a few dogs stop him from a three-thousand-year mission, he thought to himself.
“Yep, your little plan failed,” JD went on, “the virgin you’re so eager to sink your teeth into is locked up in my jail… with one other special idiot.
“What? No!”
“Yep, no more yohimbe lab, Donovan… it go boom. So, I hope you didn’t have any major plans for that Sunlife,” JD carried on. “You broke the Blood Law and now I’m going to enforce it. I’m going to kill you, so those nice kids can revert to back to humans and go home to their parents,” the sheriff’s voice called out, becoming infuriated. “You’re finished, Donovan, it’s over!”
But, Donovan was unshaken by the threats. “It will be over, when I say it’s over, sheriff… I’d like for you to meet the team first,” he said, turning to the parked buses. “Oh, boys!” Donovan called, waving his hand in the air.
Seconds later, dressed in full gear, the entire football team exited the bus, one by one and they lined up, in formation, on the football field, ready to move. The cheerleaders and fan club followed, emerging from the second bus and they crowded together on the sideline, all under Donovan’s control. JD watched warily to the end of the field, where the fresh Vampire players were all lined up; their fingernails grew and their brand-new fangs could be seen popping out from behind their helmet guards.
“So, this is how you want this to play out, Donovan? Really?”
“This was of your choosing, JD, remember that. Your choice, just like when your boy got killed,” Donovan said, trying to push him even more. “What kind of father would take his beloved son for his first wolf run on the opening night of hunting season? You would, you fool,” he taunted. “It was such a shame, too. He was such a good boy… it almost hurt me to do it.”
After he’d said that, Donovan lifted his arms and pretended to sight down an imaginary rifle, pulling the invisible trigger. In anger, JD’s control began to waver and he involuntarily started changing form, but quickly regained his shift. He looked Donovan, dead in his eyes and spit in his face, before turning on his heel, walking across the field to take his place by the rest of his Pack, keeping his composure. As he neared his deputies they could all tell by the look
on his face that the meeting had not gone well… and everyone knew, there was no end to this conflict without bloodshed.
It was after midnight and the gas station was completely silent, with the exception of a few truckers, who were camping overnight in the back lot, with their trucks idling, the sound muffled a bit by the snowflakes were descending from above. Wendy pulled into the parking lot of the Texaco station and Brittney Jones came running out, jumping into the warm car. After she got in, Wendy handed her the pistol that JD had given her.
“Hold this for me while I drive,” Wendy said, as Brittney took the gun. “No problem,” Brittney replied without bating an eyelid, buckling her seatbelt.
Wendy put the pedal to the metal, spinning the tires and kicking up snow, as they slid back onto the freeway, heading back towards town.
Back at the police station, Sarah was falling asleep behind the front desk, totally unaware that, outside, a Vampire was quietly creeping upon the walls police station. The Vampire was Stew, in his undead new form and he was completely under Donovan’s control. He crawled the perimeter of building; sniffing and licking the outer walls of the station… he could smell Mary. He pressed his lips to the cold, brick building and he began to whisper, “Mary, Mary, open the door, come outside. Mary… open the door….”
The eerie sound infiltrated Mary’s sleep and she awoke in a trancelike state. She left her cell, quietly walking past Sarah, who had finally nodded-off at the front desk. Stew continued to whisper through the outer wall, as Mary made her way towards the entrance of the station, where she pushed the release button, letting the heavy, silver brace begin to lower from the front door.
The sound and vibration through the floors finally awakened Sarah. “Mary, what the hell are you doing?” she shouted, as she was jumping up and running. “Get away from that door, NOW!”
Mary just stood there, not acknowledging Sarah’s command, still pressing the release, waiting for the silver brace to finish lowering, while her other hand reached for the door handle.
Joy, Matt and Lia heard Sarah yelling and they came running out from their cells, just as Mary was opening the front door and they could see Stew, standing outside… reaching out to embrace her.
“Mary, come to me… please. I need you,” Stew continued to beckon.
Sarah got behind the giant ultraviolet spotlight and she aimed it, hitting Stew with the powerful beam, instantly seizing him up. He froze, completely still and his body began smoking from the impact of the light, as he convulsed and screamed, his flesh melting and burning.
Lia was trying to pull Mary away from the door, but she seemed to have an otherworldly strength. Joy was crumbling, in a complete state of shock, from the sight of her boyfriend being burned alive and she fell to the floor with her hands over her face, brokenhearted.
“Stew! Oh my God, STEW!” Joy cried out, between her fingers.
“Look out, Lia!” Sarah shouted, “You’re over the threshold!”
As he gurgled and snarled, Stew’s skin sizzled and burned, but he was still able to reach out and he grabbed Lia by her long hair. With one swift tug, he ripped Lia’s head off, tossing it off to the side, while keeping his eyes locked on Mary, his skin bubbling and oozing.
“You fucking bastard!” Matt screamed out. “Die, motherfucker!”
Matt mashed his palm on the button, instantly starting to lift the silver cross-brace back into place. Sarah kept the ultraviolet-light fixed on Stew, as he tried his best to wiggle out of the beam’s path, but he was stuck, melting into the concrete.
“Get her!” Sarah yelled. “Mary is in the fucking way!”
“Look out, Mary! Get out of the way, damn it!” Matt shouted, getting her out of the way, with only a second left before the silver barricade closed. Joy watched in utter horror, as it came into contact with Stew, his body melting into the silver brace, before finally exploding in a huge burst of fire, smoke and ash.
“Stew,” Joy whispered in disbelief, before she fainted and fell to the floor.
“That wasn’t Stew, sweetheart,” Sarah said, running to her side as the girl was fading in and out of consciousness. “You have to believe me, Joy… he didn’t even know who you were. He was under a spell.”
Matt grabbed Mary by the shoulders and gave her a good shake. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you open the front door, like that? Are you fucking nuts?”
“I have no idea how I even got here,” Mary said, as she looked around, looking quite puzzled. After Joy told her that Lia had gotten killed, she was near hysterics. “The last thing I remember was falling asleep in my cell. Then I woke up here… I really don’t know what happened!”
“Well, let’s get everyone back to your beds,” Sarah said, leading them back. “We could’ve all been killed… God rest poor Lia’s soul.”
After everyone was back in the cells and laying on their cots, Sarah poured herself a huge cup of coffee with lots of extra sugar. Hearing the muffled cries of Joy and Mary coming from the back, Sarah knew she wouldn’t be falling asleep at the desk any more tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wendy and Brittney drove back to town in silence, lost in their own thoughts and they had no idea that they were being followed. Suddenly, a winged Vampire fell from the sky and smashed onto the hood of Wendy’s car, grinning evilly at them through the windshield. With one clawed hand dug into the hood, he tapped on the glass with one of his long, pointed nails, signaling for them to pull over.
“Fuck!” Wendy screamed, “This is all I really need! Give me the gun!”
Brittney screamed out in surprise, as Wendy cranked the wheel, throwing the car into a spin. The Vampire was thrown from the hood, but he was now hanging on the side of the car, struggling to hold on. Wendy rolled down her window and grabbed the pistol from Brittney, who was now squealing like a terrified animal. Sighting in with her 50 caliber Desert Eagle, as the Vampire tried to pull himself in, Wendy pulled the trigger, unloading the entire clip of thirteen wood-tipped bullets. The impact of the ammunition blasted the Vampire, knocking him to the pavement, where he rolled and burst into a ball of flames in the middle of the street.
Wendy handed the pistol back to a frightened Brittney, rolling her window back up and checking her hair in the mirror. “You okay?”
Brittney took a deep, shaky breath and answered, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
The young girl was already getting past her initial feeling of shock and was now admiring Wendy with wide eyes. “Damn, Mrs. Davidson! You’re really a badass!”
Back at the police station, Matt was overcome with deep grief, after just seeing his girlfriend get her head ripped off and his best friend burned alive; he couldn’t sleep. The vision kept replaying in his head, over and over again. He decided he needed to see Mary, so he quietly went over to her cell, closing the heavy iron door behind him. He took a seat on the edge of her cot, waking her and Mary immediately sat up, seeing that Matt was the occurrence of her awakening, offering her sympathies.
“I’m so sorry about Lia, Matt. That was horrible… I’m so sorry,” she said trying not to cry, rubbing his back. “If you need to talk, then stay and we’ll talk.”
But, Matt had no interest in discussions. He suddenly grabbed her and pinned her to the coat and he began groping wildly at her jeans.
“Matt!” she yelled, “What the hell are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”
Jason and Skinny watched silently from their cell, as Matt struggled to pull Mary’s pants off. Skinny was licking his lips, enjoying the entertainment; he stood up and pressed his face into the bars, watching intently, while Jason remained completely still, unsure of what to do.
“This is your fault, Mary!” Matt snarled, gritting his teeth. “Lia and the others would still be alive, if it wasn’t for you. And, you know what, Mary? I don’t want to die… so, just give it up!”
“Matt, stop it!” Mary shouted, clawing and kicking back. “Get off me, damn it!” She caught him off guard, as he wa
s fumbling for his zipper, kneeing him in the balls, as hard as she could.
Matt’s body tumbled to the concrete floor, where he cracked his head, wide-open. “You fucking bitch!” he spit out, trying to crawl back up to his feet, pulling himself up with the bars of the cell. He recovered his footing and reached back with his hand, slapping her in the face. She screamed, as he grabbed for her again, trying to cover her mouth and still tugging away at her jeans.
To Mary’s relief, Sarah had come to the rescue, bringing the brawl to an instant halt, when she hit Matt in the back of his head with the butt of her rifle. The sound was sickening and it brought Matt down crashing to the floor and knocked out-cold. The blood ran profusely from the gash in his skull, spilling out onto the cold and hard cement of the jail cell.
“What the hell is going on, Mary? Are you alright?” Joy asked, running to assist her. “What happened to Matt? Did he attack you?”
Mary was crying and holding her hands over her face. “Yes, he did!” she burst out. “It was so weird… it was like he was possessed!”
“Joy, Mary,” Sarah said. “Help me get Matt into his cell. We need to lock him up, before he wakes up. Let’s hurry… we only have a few minutes.” She shot a glance over to Jason and Skinny. “Thanks for sounding the alarm, you worthless pieces of shit!”
Skinny just grinned with his brown and yellow teeth, shrugging and Jason said nothing, looking embarrassed, turning away and hanging his head.
“Assholes!” Sarah said, letting them have it. “You’re fucking worthless assholes! Unless it’s for a bullet in your heads, don’t bother asking me for anything!”
The three women grappled with Matt’s limp body, dragging him back over to his cell, leaving a smear of dark, red blood trailing behind.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” asked Joy, still concerned for his well-being.
“I don’t think so,” Sarah said, as she checked out the split in his head. “At least I hope not. I really think he was just acting on the impulse of fear and shock, after seeing what happened to Lia and Stew.”
The Lycan Chronicles Page 18